This past Saturday, the University of Arizona’s Richard Jefferson Gymnasium was filled with the sounds of basketballs being hammered, sneakers making noise, and instructors giving instructions.
Dalen Terry, a former Arizona Wildcat, was at the center of everything.
Terry, the guard for the Chicago Bulls, practiced in the gym for two seasons while attending the university, working out under Tommy Lloyd and Sean Miller. This week is different, though, because Terry is the one giving the lessons.
Terry came back to the university to mentor young people by organizing a youth camp for children in the 8–14 age range. The two-day event drew over 100 campers, following the success of a similar event held a week earlier in the Phoenix area, not far from his hometown.
It was also vital to Terry to host a camp in a city he views as second home.
“There weren’t many camps where NBA players came into town when I was their age, especially not guys from Arizona,” Terry remarked. “I hope the kids have a fantastic time because I’m a man that plays the game with a smile on my face. I believe that players will pick up more skills the more fun they have with the game.
Having people in his life who supported him in his endeavor to become an NBA player held additional significance for Terry. Every instructor at the camp was a close friend or family member of the third-year player, as well as some of Terry’s original trainers and instructors.
Dalen Terry’s father, Al Terry, believes that speaks much about his son’s character.
“I believe it’s merely evidence of his character and accomplishments since making the transition to the NBA,” he remarked. Many people forget their roots and the people who supported them as they advance to the next level. That is the quality of Dalen that I value most. He is reaching back and helping others stand up.
As he’s become older, it makes sense that when Dalen was younger than the youngsters at his camp, he virtually fell asleep with a basketball in his hands.
“At three years old, Dalen was in the gym,” His father remarked. He used to spend his entire childhood in the gym, grabbing meals from the vending machine with his pals, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. He was always well-organized, so it would be pointless to bar him from the gym.
Terry played in 59 games the previous season, up from 38 in his rookie campaign. As he works his way into Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s normal rotation, he has doubles his minutes. Terry stated that he has been honing his jump shooting during the offseason in an effort to demonstrate his ability to shoot well at the NBA level.
Not surprisingly, Dalen has been practicing basketball wherever he can this summer, since both his father and he have described his work ethic as nothing short of insane. Terry is a regular at Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Darico “Rico” Hines’ private run, and he recently won a championship in the storied Drew League in Los Angeles with former Bulls colleague Demar Derozan.
NBA players can be seen all over the floor in the private pickup games held inside the UCLA Student Activities Center, which are perhaps the best basketball games played in the summer. Terry considered participating in them to be an honorific.
Terry remarked, “You have to go through the Rico Hines runs as a young NBA player on the West Coast just to prove to everybody who you are.” Even if it’s not in the NBA, I believe that’s how you earn respect in the game. Those individuals watch you throughout the season and recall when you were doing well in Los Angeles.
His reunion with his former coaches and colleagues was another benefit of moving back to Tucson. Terry mentioned that he had dinner with Lloyd and that he frequently saw the employees at various occasions over the summer. He claims he is the type to lightheartedly “talk stuff” with them if they lose a big game, even though congratulations are often texted after significant victories. Even though Terry’s time on campus is now limited to senior guard Grant Weitman, he claimed to have played high school ball against Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley, even going so far as to try to convince Love to travel to Arizona rather than North Carolina.
Only the staff stayed in the gym while the campers left for lunch. Some made jokes between themselves, and others worked on half-court shots. Terry considered it to be just another workday.
